Cap for fuel-oil bottles



Nov" 15, 1938. J. J. M LAUGHLIN 2,136,593

CAP FOR FUEL-OIL BOTTLES Filed Oct. 1;, 195'? INVENTOR.

4 A ORNEY.

Patented Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFlcE 2,136,593 CAP FORFUEL-OIL BoT LEs v John J. McLaughlin, Gloucester, Mass.

' Application October 11, 1937, Serial No. 168,331

1 Claim. (01.21548 p This invention relates to oil feeding apparatus foroil burners and similar devices.

Such apparatus customarily is of the barometric feed type. It comprisesa small reservoir in which a bottle holding a supply of oil is mountedin an inverted position. One or more oil supply pipes lead from saidreservoir to the oil burner or burners. Normally the mouth of the bottleis closed against the entrance of air by the fact that ""it is submergedin the body of oil in said reservoir. In other words, the oil in thebottle is held back by air pressure on the oil in the reservoir, thispressure, plus the small hydrostatic head of oil, balancing the weightof the oil in the bottle and the low pressure in the air space above thebody of oil in the bottle. As .the supply of oil in the reservoir isconsumed, the oil level drops until it no longer seals the mouth of thebottle but allows some air to enter. This displaces oil in the bottlewhich flows into the reservoir. These operations are repeated as theburner continues to operate. The admission of air occurs at intervals inconsiderable quantities so that the oil level is raised very materiallywith each intake of air. Such a change increases the rate of flow of oilto the burner and consequently modifies the character of the flame,often producing a yellow, smoky flame instead of the hot, clean, bluishflame characteristic of normal operation.

The present invention aims to improve oil feeding apparatus of this typewith a view to maintaining an approximately uniform level of oil in thereservoir and thus reducing to a minimum fluctuations in the burnerflame due to changes in the oil level.

The nature of the invention will be readily understood from thefollowing description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in theappended claim.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of those parts of an oil supply apparatuswith which the present invention is more especially concerned, thereservoir structure being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the novel bottle cap provided by thisinvention; and

I Fig. 3 is a vertical, sectional view of said cap. 50 Referring firstto Fig. 1, a typical oil reservoir is there shown at 2, this reservoirstructure being mounted on a standard 3 which rests on the floor. A pipe4 leads from the bottom of the reservoir to the burner or burners.Mounted in this reser- 55 voir, in the usual inverted position, is anoil supply bottle 5 held in place by a rest 6 and equipped with a cap Iof a novel form.

As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, this cap comprises a main cap mem ber orshell 8 adapted to fit over the mouth and the adjacent end portion of 5'the neck of the bottle, the cap being screw threaded to take the threadsprovided on the bottle neck. Mounted inside this shell and on the bottomof itis" alining disk 9 of cork, leather, syntheticrubber; or any othersuitable composi- 16" tion, and holes Ill and II are formed centrallythrough both the bottom of the shell and the disk 9 to permit the flowof oil through the cap and into the reservoir. Normally such flow isprevented by a valve comprising a disk l2 secured on l5' the upper endof a valve plunger 13. A spring [4 encircling this plunger bears on theplunger head l5 and tends to hold the valve closed. However, when thebottle is in its inverted position, as shown in Fig. 1, the end of thisplunger rests on 20 the bottom of the reservoir and thus holds the valveopen.

So far as the features above described are concerned, the cap shown ismuch like those heretofore used. 25

According to the present invention a supplemental cap member E6 istelescoped on the bot tom of the shell 8 and crimped thereon so that itis secured rigidly to the shell and, in effect, forms a part of it. Thecentral portion of this supple- 3 mental member is bulged downwardly,and is provided with a series of concentric shoulders, as clearly shownin Figs. 2 and 3. The bottommost shoulder serves as a rest for the upperend of the spring [4 and centers it with reference to the 5 plunger [3,the bottom of the cap being provided with a hole IT to guide saidplunger. Formed through this bulged portion of the supplemental cap area few holes I8, preferably three or four in number, and preferably,also, formed at about the 40 junction of the base of the bulge with theflat surface of the part It so that these holes do not have muchvertical depth. They permit a flow of air therethrough when the level ofthe oil drops below the bottom of the cap, but this flow is greatly 5restricted by the fact that the holes are of very limited vertical depthand also are of small diameter. Located between the supplemental memberI6 and the bottom of the shell 8 is a collar 29, centered with referenceto the aperture I!) by being mounted in one of the internal shoulderedgrooves of the bulged portion of the part it. This collar effectuallyblocks off any air which enters the chamber in which it is mountedexcept at a very narrow slot 2| between the ends of the collar.

With this arrangement the maximum level of the oil remains constantly ata point only very slightly above the bottom of the shell 8. As soon asthe level drops below the bottom of the horizontal part of thesupplemental cap member IS, a small quantity of air enters one of theholes I8 and flows through the narrow slot 2| and the aperture I intothe bottle. The oil so released from the bottle raises the oil level inthe reservoir very slightly but enough to close the port I 8 or 2| andthus to prevent a further inflow of air for the time being. Theseoperations are repeated as the oil is consumed, the air, however, beingadmitted in only small bubbles at a time and the oil consequently beingreleased intermittently in. correspondingly small quantities. Moreover,the apertures l1 and I8 afford only a very restricted escape or outflowof oil from the bottle. This is important in dampening the momentumwhich the outflowing stream otherwise would acquire. Also it will beobserved that the collar 20 serves as a partition to divide the chamberin the supplemental capinto outer and inner compartments, the outercompartment being fundamentally an air inlet space, whereas the innercompartment is primarily an oil discharging space, although these twofunctions are combined to some degree since air flows inwardly throughboth compartments and oil flows outwardly through both. The flow betweencompartments, however, is restricted by the collar 20. Thus thevariations in level of the oil in the reservoir are reduced to aminimum, and the operation. of the burner is maintained far more uniformthan otherwise would be possible. In addition, the nature of the capstructure is such that the parts can be manufactured and assembledeconomically and with relatively little labor.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim as new is:

An oil bottle cap comprising a shell adapted to fit tightly over themouth and the adjacent end portion of the bottle neck, said shell havingan opening through its bottom, a valve mounted in said shell andincluding a plunger having a valve disk on its upper end adapted toclose said opening, a spring encircling said plunger and tending to holdthe disk in its closed position, said shell having a supplemental capmember on the bottom thereof bulged outwardly to provide a chamberbetween the supplemental cap and said bottom and provided with a hole invertical alinement withsaid opening to guide said plunger and with anexternal shoulder around said opening to center said spring, said bulgedportion also having laterally disposed and restricted aperturescontrolling both the entrance of air into said chamber and also theescape of oil laterally therefrom, the apertures in said bulged capmember cooperating to provide a controlled and restricted escape of oilfrom said bottle and cap, whereby an approximately uniform level of oilis maintained in the reservoir, thus reducing to a minimum fluctuationsin the burner flame due to changes in the oil level, and a collarsupported in centered relationship to said bottom opening in the shelland dividing the space between said supplemental cap and said shell intoinner and outer chambers and restricting the lateral inflow of air fromsaid apertures into the bottle and also retarding the outflow of oilfrom the bottle through the apertures in said supplemental cap.

JOHN J. MCLAUGHLIN.

